Goblins
Goblins are a small race known for their resourcefulness, quick wits, and questionable hygiene. They are a nomadic folk who thrive in Akoum, Murasa, and Ondu as well as in most settlements and outposts throughout Zendikar. Overview Much of a goblin's life is devoted to finding and plundering ruin sites. In Affa, the main settlement in Akoum, many goblins hire themselves out as guides or trapfinders. Of course, the normal plan is to help find something of value, trigger a trap intentionally, steal the object, and run away. "Grit," an unidentified mineral commonly found in volcanic rock and magma tunnels, is often pounded into dust and eaten by goblins, and it serves to partially calcify their skin—enough to toughen them up against the elemental forces they are constantly subjected to. As goblins age, therefore, their skin develops a stiff, leathery quality like elephant skin. An older goblin starts to look greyer and stonier over time. Play a goblin if you want... *to be a plucky hero who is all too easy to underestimate. *to be the comedic relief of your gaming group. *to be a member of a race that favors the rogue, ranger, and warlock classes. =Society= oblins practice a strange form of meritocracy when it comes to governance. By far, the most useful trait in a leader is practical survival knowledge, so goblins choose their tribal leaders by their perceived industriousness. The goblin that leads the tribe is the one who has managed to retrieve the most interesting or powerful object from a ruin site. As such, ambitious goblins are always trying to outdo one another, and delve deeper and deeper into ever more dangerous ruins. Goblin leaders therefore tend to be young—- there are old goblins, and ambitious goblins, but there are very few old and ambitious goblins. Goblins always carry their most impressive prize with them, and a goblin that hasn't yet retrieved an interesting relic from some ruin or wilderness locale is not considered a full member of the tribe. However, most goblins are fearful by nature individually, so they are willfully gullible when told that a given object is an important artifact. They enable each other's cowardice through a tacit agreement to the effect that, "Yep, that hunk of rock you found feels pretty powerful to me," thereby enabling each others' acceptance by the tribe. Zendikar is home to three major loose tribes of goblins and numerous smaller ones. Tuktuk Tuktuk are most likely among the goblins to hire themselves out as ruin guides to other races. Of course, many times their employers find themselves victim to a goblin's surprisingly opportunistic nature at the worst possible moment. Lavastep The Lavastep tribe is the most industrious of the goblin tribes, with hard-won knowledge of the geothermal activity in Akoum. Grotag Smaller and weaker than their cousins, with larger hands and feet, the Grotag live by their wits-- not a winning proposition for a goblin. =Physical Qualities= Goblins stand between 3.5 and 5 feet in height, but with slender, elongated builds. They arms are unusually long, allowing them to brachiate through the forest canopies and along cliff walls, and they skin is more leathery than typical goblin skin. A goblin's skin will range from a brownish red to a moss green, depending on his tribe and his exposure to various subterranean elements. =Playing a Goblin= =Goblin Adventurers=